ELKE HUBENS

Abstract  art, mixed media

The human figure as vessel:

Since childhood, I have been fascinated by what connects us, humans. Is there an essence that we share? And if so, when are we this truest self? Can we see ourselves separated from our environment at all? As a sculptor, I want to convey the human experience in its purest form and capture the beauty of being intimately connected to (our) nature. To convey this Elcker-ick story, I take the human figure as a vehicle of expression.

Clay, an ode to the circle of life:

I work exclusively with clay: a fragile yet strong primal material. I love its cyclical nature, transforming soil into clay into leather-hard clay and stoneware and grinding it into chamotte, one of the building blocks of stoneware clay. Even after its final passage in the kiln, stoneware continues to transform: color, glaze, fracture lines or the play of light or photography make the sculpture into something new.

But although clay can be molded to my imagination, it also dictates my hands. The tension between what I want as an artist and what I must accept creates a dimension beyond sculpture.

Sculptor and storyteller:

Sculpting and writing are my two real passions. As a sculptor, I am mostly self-taught and feel like an eternal beginner. The spirit of this beginner shapes and reshapes my language: the path and wonder are more important than the find.

Always eager to enrich my sculptural language, I have taken classes or workshops with artists such as Erica Chaffart, Monique Donckers, Anneke Lauwaert, Masha de Vries, Miek Sysmans, ceramist Alberto Bustos, ...

Mother:

I am fortunate to be the mother of two beautiful sons, who are and always will be my main inspiration and my greatest teachers. Life with my youngest son, who has Down syndrome, has deeply influenced my outlook on life, love and (human) nature.

Always eager to enrich my sculptural language, I have taken classes or workshops with artists such as Erica Chaffart, Monique Donckers, Anneke Lauwaert, Masha de Vries, Miek Sysmans, ceramist Alberto Bustos, ...

Mother:

I am fortunate to be the mother of two beautiful sons, who are and always will be my main inspiration and my greatest teachers. Life with my youngest son, who has Down syndrome, has deeply influenced my outlook on life, love and (human) nature.

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